PC-12 was originally derived in 1976 from a transplantable rat adrenal pheochromocytoma in 1976. PC-12 are small, have a limited amount of cytoplasm, are difficult to transfect, and have a doubling time of more than two days. These cells stop dividing and terminally differentiate when treated with nerve growth factor, which makes PC-12 cells useful as a model system for neuronal differentiation. PC-12 treated with nerve growth factor stop proliferation, grow long neuritis, and exhibit cellular composition changes that are associated with neuronal differentiation. When PC-12 differentiate, they are even more difficult to transfect. Both neuronal NO synthase and nitric oxide are required for PC12 cell differentiation. Research suggests PC-12 cells may represent a stage specific vulnerability to a known neurotoxic agent. PC-12 have a rounded morphology, tend to form clusters in culture and attach poorly to non-coated plastic surfaces, making them difficult to culture.

The PC-12 cell line is useful for studying the adrenal gland, and types of cancers that affect it. PC-12 cells are pheochromocytoma cells. They exhibit an irregular cell morphology and were derived from a pheochromocytoma and are not capable of synthesizing epinephrine. Though they have been known to produce norepinephrine, dopamine, and catecholamines.

Data:

Figure 1. SiRNAs targeting Lamin A/C mRNA or non-silencing control siRNA were transfected into PC-12 cells following the recommended protocol. At 48 hours post-transfection the cells were analyzed by qRT-PCR for gene expression levels. 18S rRNA levels were used to normalize the Lamin A/C data. Values are normalized to untreated sample. Data are means ± SD (n=3).

Figure 2. Protein expression of Lamin A in PC-12 cells. DNA plasmid expressing Lamin A or siRNA targeting Lamin A were transfected into PC-12 cells following Altogen Biosystems transfection protocol. At 72 hours post-transfection the cells were analyzed by Western Blot for protein expression levels (normalized by total protein, 10 µg of total protein loaded per each well). Untreated cells used as a negative control.

Altogen Biosystems:

Altogen Biosystems transfection and electroporation products for life sciences and cancer research. Company developed two types of in vivo delivery kits for animal research: Tissue-targeted reagents (delivery to liver, pancreas, and kidney tissues), and broad range in vivo delivery reagents (PEG-Liposome, Nanoparticle-based, Lipid-based, and Polymer-based kits). Advanced formulation of reagents and optimized transfection protocols provide efficient intracellular delivery of proteins, DNA, mRNA, shRNA, siRNA, and other negatively charged molecules in vitro and in vivo. Read more about transfection technology at Altogen’s Transfection Resource.